A Phantom Menace: A Star Wars Story
by ThatOne749
Summary: AU of the Prequels (it seems almost obligatory for a fanfic author to at least dabble in a prequel rewrite once) Where the politics, war, decisions and plots are a bit more realistic and the Jedi/Sith/Force is appropriately more alien and mysterious The balance in the galaxy, between the 3 major powers is threatened, but even an accusation could lead to another terrible war...


p class="MsoNormal"Star Wars AU (Obligatory Prequels Rewrite)/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Phantom Menace:/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Opening Crawl:/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Turmoil has engulfed the galaxy. Outlying star systems are beginning to cede and form their own Confederacy, removing valuable resources from the Galactic Republic. Key Republic missions have failed on numerous systems, with rampant corruption and rumours of violence indicating malevolent forces at play./p  
p class="MsoNormal"These indications have prompted the Jedi High Council to intervene, sending two Jedi to resolve the latest secession of the small mid-rim planet Naboo. The secrecy of the mission is paramount, with the Republic Senate constantly hampered by their own bureaucracy, and suspected espionage, resulting in strings of failed negotiations and entire sector withdrawals, further weakening an already over-stretched Republic./p  
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"  
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"The balance of power in the galaxy, between the Republic, Hutt cartels and Federation is threatened with the rise of the Confederacy, potentially destabilising the Galactic Peace that has reigned for over 1000 years…/p  
/div  
p class="MsoNormal"Over the small system Naboo, named for the capital world, a small cruiser, equipped with the latest hyperdrive and stealth technology available to the Diplomatic Corps of the Republic Senate, re-joined realspace. The passengers, two officially sanctioned negotiators of the Republic, and two 'humble clerks' - to assist with information too sensitive to place within a droid – immediately saw the bulbous mobile space-station where the planned negotiations would take place./p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Master Jinn, it looks more like a battle-station than a meeting-outpost. /emThe almost frantic mind link of the shorter, hooded 'clerk', wearing the typical outer robe of a diplomatic aide, dyed brown with scarlet trim with embellished designs marking its wearer as having the protection of the Diplomacy Corps. In reality, the young man was a Jedi apprentice, on his em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Voce /emTrial in the path of a Jedi Kight ./p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Calm yourself Padawan /emThe elder Jedi replied. The elder, a master of Diplomacy who oversaw the Voce trials of aspiring Jedi, affectionately known as Padawans./p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"The marking on the starboard side, nemodian if I'm not mistaken. /emThe elder Jedi continued, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Recall if you will, the recent /emTrade Wars em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"the system has undergone, it is no surprise their 'ships have a militaristic bearing. But we should be mindful nonetheless./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Master Jinn, with respect, recent reports from Geonosis, Bakuura and half a dozen others showed an outbreak of violence and rumours of military action before the secessions, all indicating that the martial bearing of ships like this isn't just aesthetics, I believe this is an intimidation tactic rather than a diplomatic use of a repurposed ship/em./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The younger Jedi, fully aware of the severity of criticising a Master of any Trial was, at the very least the height of impertinence, and at worst, potential grounds for failure of a trial, quickly flourished a small bow in apology to his words. This was the only indication to an outside observer that something beyond their understanding was occurring between the two hooded figures./p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Peace apprentice, your concerns are justified /emThe elder's mental link rumbled reassuringly in the younger's mind./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The audible grumble of the elder filled the small cabin, far more than any single voice should have./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Captain, may I trouble you for our exact landing procedures. I believe that in the interest of the Senate's Committiees everything from this point forth should be thoroughly documented./p  
p class="MsoNormal"It wasn't even a threat, not really, just a reminder to the crewmembers (and any spies) that the current process was being recorded by the enigmatic late additions to the diplomatic craft. If the Jedi also kept up a minor passive field of em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"otherness /emabout them, to give more weight to their words, well, those actions were not strictly disallowed, technically. Frowned upon, yes, questioned, most certainly, but grounds to censure a Jedi, even a Padawan, most definitely em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"not/em./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course Humble Witness. I will bring up the data momentarily."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Within the Diplomatic Corps, the 'clerks' travelling to observe the signing of contracts, especially within the purview of the Upper Senate Body of the Chancellor's Office and Jedi High Council, were afforded the courtesy respect of said institutions in absentina. This resulted in very few peoples willing to seriously harm the 'Humble Witnesses', as these lifeforms were generally under the auspicious protection of both the Chancellor and Jedi, and, as was frequently told to youngsters as a bedtime fairy-tale of old, the last race that tried to stand up to the both was the em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Sith Empire, /emwhose name was only publicly known through archaeological records dating back thousands of years, so complete and ruthless were the Jedi and Republic in obliterating all trace of that foul people from the galaxy./p  
p class="MsoNormal"And so, even if they didn't deserve such a reputation, the Humble Witnesses were afforded such respect out of the same fear that enlivened those childish stories, that the almost mystical branch could somehow bring down the power of both Jedi and Republic on the head of any lifeform they so chose./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Naturally, this made such an organisation the perfect place to hide a few travelling Jedi, whose own interaction with the Witnesses frequently lead to confusion in their respective roles by the public./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Sir, the Flight Plan, as requested. We are aligning now, as shown within the relevant section. I hope the actions meet with your approval."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"-/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strongA/N: So only a short, slow intro chapter, let me know what you all think, I have a general direction for this series to go, details are being worked out currently, this will hopefully portray the Jedi and Sith as more 'alien' even to the SW universe, after all, who dedicates their life - and the lives of all their students - to wandering, peace and non-attachment whilst carrying weapons that could cut nearly anything, (and who would dedicate their lives to almost that exact opposite, excluding the weapons of course) without some seriously 'alien' belief systems?/strong/p 


End file.
